When Dave Lanning Got On Hackney's Wick!

[Hackney Speedway]

With all the hype of the BSPA conference, go back in time and read an exclusive Dave Lanning article on what he thought of Hackney Speedway and Len Silver. It shows how far British speedway has declined over the years. Lanning explains that,

“In retrospect, it has to be factored in that these were particularly golden days for West Ham. The soccer Hammers across at Upton Park were in a peak of popularity winning European silverware and culminating when three of their players won the World Cup for England in 1966.
There were shared Board members at both Upton Park and Custom House and a great deal of cross fertilisation between the two.
But perhaps the craziest most unfair to Hackney fact was that at precisely this time West Ham was basking in a ridiculously unique, unexpected period of fashionability.
Alf Garnett, of all people, glamorised ‘yer ‘ammers’ every week for a TV audience of 20 million. He even declared that the Queen had a picture of ‘the lads’ on her bedroom door.”

I’m not aware we have shared Board members between a football club and the local speedway team. Perhaps we should. The KOC was the equivalent of today’s play offs. Glamour was part of speedway’s popularity. The closest ‘star’ who occasionally gives speedway the thumbs up these day is probably Mark Webber.

 

To read the full article go to the link below

 

http://hackneyspeedway.com/WHEN-DAVE-LANNING-GOT-ON-HACKNEY-S-WICK-

[stevehone]

I’m not aware we have shared Board members between a football club and the local speedway team.

 

Kings Lynn

[RobMcCaffery]

I'd say the reference is to the Cearns family who were involved not only with Wimbledon Speedway but also West Ham United, and I presume from the above West Ham Speedway as well. I remember there being a Cearns family factory or warehouse in Carpenters Road on the way from Stratford to Hackney Speedway - don't know if that was also connected.